Smokepaw's Revenge
by TheSwiftWarrior14
Summary: Does anyone remember Smokepaw? Yeah, that poor apprentice that fell of the cliff on the way to the new territories. They said that he was surely dead, right? Wrong. No one came back for him. Starclan's forgotten him. Stuck on the edge of the mountains in the heart of winter... alone... or is he? There's more to his short life than anyone ever guessed. Read on.
1. Chapter 1

I can remember the sound of their voices. Hold on. Hold on.

I can see their faces. Blue eyes. Yellow eyes. Green eyes. Their whiskers. Their fur.

Yet I'm alone. All alone. My eyes are shut.

My my fur is covered in blood. Scarlet blood. Gray fur.

I can hear them...

I feel the still air engulf my body. I feel the cold, still air. It tugs at my skin. Makes it burn. I feel the world tumble away from me in a blur of light and darkness, the sliver of sun slowly drifting away... forgetting me. Leading me downwards into the deep, cold, dark place. I don't know where I'm going.

I fear I will die.

OOO

I woke up to the sound of my own heart. It was beating, I was alive.

The pound of my heart, the blood pumping through my body. It made me jerk at each frequent beat, hitting my ribcage and sending pain up my spine. Making my green eyes water.

The salty drop from my eyes met my open mouth. My tongue hung awkwardly out, surrounded in a pool of blood. I must have coughed it up. The air was frigid, I could see my breath. That small taste of tears was tinged with copper. There was blood there too.

I think I was in shock. There was no other expaination. I knew every bone in my body must have been broken, shattered. My limbs splayed across the stone floor sticky in the puddles that flowed from my skin. My fur torn and still, aside from the slow rise and fall of my chest. My eyes were clouded over and I could barely see but I knew where I was.

I was at the bottom of a long, slow pathway to death. Where I was now could not have been any better than hell.

My last recolection of the life before was of plunging downward, wind tearing through my fur. It's the feeling you get when you are half asleep, and you feel yourself fall only until you open your eyes. The only difference here was... I wasn't waking up.

I saw their eyes, my clanmates and fellow aprentices watching me. Even some cats from the other clans watched and gasped, their faces horrified. I couldn't remember much. Only letting my claws scrape along the rough stone, screeching as I begged to stay steady... only to find myself in this position, with nothing to live for. Knowing that there was only a cold, hard ground laying under me.

I had wailed. Twisting in the air. My fur plastered to my body. It seemed to soon for me, only an aprentice. Maybe they would send a medicine cat down here, to help me and maybe I'd live.

"Smokepaw!" Who's voice was that? I could hardly make it out through the rush of air.

"Oh no!" Another fearful voice rang through the chasm. It was useless.

At that, I shut my eyes. The memory hurt more than my injuries.

They will come. I know it. They'll come. They'll come back for me.

My breaths were hoarse. Every time I tried to draw in the crisp, icey air everything shuttered and I bit back the urge to scream. I had a feeling that would hurt even more. I wanted to move. More than anything. I can recall wanting food or rest or water back in shadowclan. I can remember the urge to leap into battle, or wanting to be with a she-cat. I wanted all of those things. Earned for them.

There was no want greater than what I felt now. The simple ability I'd had all of my life was to move. To walk, flawlessly and painlessly. It was the only things I wanted. I'd surrender speach or companionship or food or water just to walk one more time. Just to run through a grass feild or leap into a marsh, listening to the frogs ribbit in the distance.

You haven't truely felt pain until your body doesn't allow you to move. You haven't been tortured until you are living but every part of you denies the ability to search for others or help. That was my pain.

Unable to process anything but my own thoughts, I did what any troubled clan cat is taught to do. Pray.

Starclan, I'm alive.

I'm not on clan territoy, I'm somewhere on the edge of the mountains. I know my clanmates are up there. I have faith they'll come and find me. I don't know if I can reach you here.

Starclan, you have guided me so far. You have believed in me. I've looked to you for help. I know I'm only an aprentice but please know that someday I'll be more than that. I'll be a warrior. I'll find my way out of this place.

Great Starclan, please. Give me a chance. I've no idea why this faith has been bestowed upon me, though I know it must be for a reason. If I am to die... make it quick. Make it painless. At least less painful than it has been thusfar. Know that I died fighting.

And who ever waits in the stars for me, know that I want to live. Although I know it will be hard... hard to get back please help me get there. I've not done a thing to any cat than what's been asked of me by my leader. I'm a loyal cat... I've not lived long but I know that I love my mother Nightwing and my mentor Oakfur. I love my clan as much as I love the thrill of battle, as any shadowclan should. I love...

I stopped my prayer suddenly. I listened to my breaths, my heart and the distant hiss of wind through rocks.

I havent loved any she-cat yet, but I am only an aprentice. I wanted to grow up and have kits and mentor younger cats and have a mate. I wanted to be a leader or a deputy... to be the most loyal cat in my clan.

So starclan, understand that I believe in you. I trust you. Bring me to my destiny. Lead me to my clan. Help the young aprentice that should be doomed to die.

Starclan, if you can hear me... show me life.

I opened my eyes and saw the stone walls above me. The crack of night sky, dotted with stars and a full moon. That small speck of beauty seemed to entrance me as I drifted into sleep. I tried to focus on it... that deep blue sky... the silvery stars that were my ancestors...

It hit me that that crack above me was the portal that lead me here away from the clans. There was nothing beautiful about it.

Quickly... I fell to a dreamless sleep. Alone.

OOO

* * *

**Okay so that the first chapter. I know it's a little broad and kinda boring but it gets better, trust me. Please review, even if you didn't like it (Tell me why) Just A quick note this is rated teen cause I'm planning on having some pretty intense fight scenes and so minor suggestive content. Just read on and you'll figure it out. **

**Cheers! -TheSwiftWarrior14**


	2. Chapter 2

"There's nothing we can do, we have to keep going."

"You're going to leave him?"

"He won't have survived that fall, and we can't reach his body."

I blinked suddenly out of my rest. The conversation between my mother and Blackstar was in front of me, clear as day. Moments after I had fallen. How had it come to me? Was I imagining I? Had starclan sent it to me?

I could still see the hurt in my poor mother's eyes. How did she feel now? Was she coming back? Would she follow me?

It was seconds... moments until the pain took over again.

A gasp of thick, dusty air told me I was in no lush forest. My mind whirled. They left me. My clan was gone. Shadowclan, the bravest, smartest and strongest of all clans was not here. Gone... to the new home of the clans.

Without me. I nearly growled with anger, though I held myself back. I had to do something.

I struggled to move but every part of me told me not to. Every part of me wanted to lay their and die. But I knew that wasn't me. Every part of me didn't want to stay here. The cat begging to stay was Smokepaw.

I was not Smokepaw. Not a chance. Every cat in my clan had left me here, not even willing to come down to salvage my body. I was no clan cat anymore.

Why did blackstar assume I died? Did he assume that any cat lesser than him was weak and worthless? I felt a pang of guilt thinking such things about my leader... but it lasted only seconds. I thought about the praying I had done who knows how long ago. Why didn't starclan send them a sign that I'm alive? Was I still doomed for death?

I growled and figeted. I tried to move. I needed to move. The blood around me was hard, dry and an odd red-purple color. I heaved, my body battling with my mind. There was a huge pink gash on my underside, the part that had hit the stone. The flesh was sticky and red, aching and burning with every second I tore it from the stone floor. I was lifting it with the center of my body, afraid to move my legs. I gritted my teeth, tearing up again. This was torture. Utter torture.

I attempted to unsheath my claws, flexing them quickly. At least those worked. I shivered in the cold air and shifted my hips, trying to get my legs working. I had yet to feel either my front paws or my back legs. I feared I had broken my back.

Starclan, oh starclan...

I bit back the thought of prayer. I felt alone, knowing that Starclan had no desire to help me. Smokepaw still wanted to pray and beg, but I wanted to fight. I didn't want to be the weak cat that needed the dead cats to help me. I wanted to be my own warrior, free of religion now. They had sent me the living evidence that no one was coming for me.

I didn't want to be weak, but it was so hard. I wanted to cry, I wanted to huddle into my mothers fur as I did as a kit. I wanted to run out into the deep, lush part of the shadowclan forests where the needles were so thick upon the ground that you couldn't hear a footstep. I wanted things to go back the the way the were...

Stop it! They're not coming!

Don't let Smokepaw through. Don't let him take you over. Don't let him in...

Who am I, then?

My heart ached. Just stand up. I told my legs to move but the wouldn't. Nothing made sense. I wailed out, flexing my claws and gritting my teeth. I panted, using every part of my being to move my muscles, yet they stood still. I growled around, letting it rumble in my throat like a dogs. I felt like a monster.

My body seared with pain now, my heart beating faster and faster. I was so angry with the state I was in. My brain with distance so far from my body that I was unable to send signals. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Like flames the shock ran through my system. Like I was waking up, entirely out of my merciless rest. I screeched, clawing at the air with the sudden pain. Hours must have passed, for the sky above me was orange with dawn light. Hours of waiting for this? My eyes lit up, the cloudiness of shock emptying suddenly. Everything melted away for a moment and...

I was standing up. My four paws beneith me, my head face forward. My pale green eyes glowed in the dark space, the beams of light brown above my only source of light. The air was freezing and snow. A sudden impulse of animal instinct... I ran.

I was amazed with the speed. I stumbled through the open space, searching for nothing. Simply living. The air tore through my fur, the scabs on my body burning though I didn't care. I was free... I was free... I was free...

I gritted my teeth as I ran, getting slower as the pain came back. It started at my paws and climbed like vines through the rest of my body, reaching the tip of my tail and the points of my ears. The power faded away and I was still again. Unable to process the miraculous burst of movement. I fell to my paws and wimpered like the aprentice I was.

I scratched the floor and the pain raked my body. It was endless.

"Help... someone... HELP!"

For the last time, I collapsed.

OOO

They were perfect. Tall, muscular. Black, gray or white fur. Like they could blend with the rocks and snow around them.

I didn't know them. Their eyes. Orange eyes.

I didn't know their thick claws, sharpened on stone.

I didn't know their hard, serious faces. Toothy mouths, or hungry glares.

I didn't know why they were here but I knew they had a good reason.

I didn't know if they were angry or sad or happy. Maybe all three. Maybe none.

Maybe they were troubled. But something about the way they looked told me these were no forest cats. Not even mountain cats. They were like spirits... but not of starclan. Not of the dark forest either.

I had no idea why I was scared of them or if I had any reason to be, but I knew that I was not alone. I knew they were not cats I knew, not cats I'd heard of or cats I'd prayed to. But I was certain I was going to find out.

Who were they?

Who was I?


	3. Chapter 3

I awoke to the soft feeling of warmth on my fur. The crackle of fire. The cold, stone floor underneith my limp body. The cold that had raked my bones, my muscles and chilled my blood was slowly melting away... slowing into a gentle contentness. I let my eyes open a crack, fearful of what I would seen. My head was numb as if had been since I had fallen. My heart thrummed within my chest.

I had no way to process how long I'd been hanging onto life within these caves. The running I had done had drained away the last bit of energy, leaving my tongue dry and my brain lacking of nutrients. My fur was ruffled and unkept, blow at odd angles in the wind. What was once a handsome silvery gray, tinted with black on the tips, was bloodstain and torn.

I stared at what was in front of me, just the simple orange blaze the crackled slowly on the source of it's flame. It smell of rich pine, like a forest fire. I was in a wide crevice, almost circular in shape. The fire lay in the of the cavern, the smoke trailing upwards through a hole in the roof. My lung earned for crisp, fresh air. Yet the warmth was nearly irresistable. I stretched out my sore limbs, broken and limp. Laying my head on the slowly heating stone. Waiting.

I knew there must be other cats here. There were claw marks on the floor, some large, thick and others closer to the size of my sharp aprentice paws. I tried to pick up there scents but I could only smell flame and stone, dusty air. Somewhere there were pine trees, which painfully reminded me of home. Even if I could find my way back to the old forest the twolegs were likely to have torn through it by now. My home, slayed mercilessly by their monsters. I made bile creep up my throat.

I heaved my front paws under me, lifting my body just inches from the ground. I felt steadier than ever, and I didn't understand how. I glanced around at the cavern, which was tall and wide. There was moss scattered on the edges of the stone room, mixed with thick fur and feathers. They were shaped into makeshift beds, and upon looking down I realised the remnants of one of them clung to my fur. Maybe I'd been laying in one at a time and moved closer to the fire in my sleep. It twisted upward into a colection of ledges, falling just low enough for me to peer over them.

One of them seemed to leading into a hall, leeking cold air. Maybe that was the way out. I noticed a small pile of fresh kill laying at the corner of the cave, consisting of a small crow and a few shrews. I licked my lips, stumbling forward. My stomach growled and I tore through a shrew greedily, the blood trickling down my lips. It must have been freshly caught. I lapped at the warm pool on the ground, savouring the flavour of the meat. It tasted almost of cool, windy air mixed with the smoke within this shelter.

I finished, and decided to go for the crow. I didn't even consider if I was supposed to eat this prey, I just couldn't control myself. I grabbed it in my jaws nearly tearing into the skin... breathing in the rich scent...

"Might you spare a taste for the rest of us, Brother."

I twisted around, licking my lips hungrily. I group of cats had entered the cavern, padding slowly near me. The cat in front was a tall tom, white of fur with orange of eyes. He stood still, composed. His fur was short, muscles lean and muzzel long. His paws were coated with a skim of snow, probably from the landscape he had just endured.

"I..." I moved forward, shaking in pain. "Where... why...?" I was at a lost for words. I felt as if the feet below me would give way at any moment.

The snowy white tom paused, looking me over. "You seem to be walking alright," He nodded at me.

"Uh... yes... I su-suppose." I mumbled again.

"Brother, it's been nearly a moon since we found you." The cat went on. "This is the first time you've woken up... I was sure you were not going to make it." I looked truely amazed. "But truely, we're hungry too and food is scarce this time of year."

I felt guilt rush over me, glancing quickly at the starving cats. I nodded. "So... sorry... I couldn't help..."

The white cat nodded his head. "It is understood. We havent been able to feed you whole food in your rest," He sighed. "Now let my cats eat,"

I shuffled the other side of the cave and hung my head, slightly embarrassed. Everything hurt.

There were probably only seven other cats. The white one I guessed was their leader, who walked with a dominent paw and a pround gaze. He reminded me of blackstar.

I observed the group. There was a tall, dark caramel brown tabby with a white stomach and paws. He had gray eyes, and a bright pink nose. Beside him, a similar looking she-cat paced boyishly. She was shorter, with the same lean muscles as the rest of the cats. Her eyes were gray as the toms, fixed on the scarce pile of prey. They looked like littermates.

There was a black and gray she-cat who was older, with longer fur and amber eyes. The two littermates look probably my age, but she was closer to my mothers age. She a lead small kit forward, a pure white with orange eyes. I guessed that she was the mate of the leader tom, and the kit was his.

After that tread a few gray cats. One with green eyes and the other with amber eyes. The amber eyed tom was bigger and darker gray, and slowly licked at the she-cat shoulder while they waited. They both apeared young warrior age.

Then there was me. Awkward, practically crippled. Aparently living here for the last moon. I kept silent.

The brown and white tom nodded over at me. "Hey Cliff, come wait with us,"

At first I didn't respond. I realised when he said Cliff, he had meant me. I heard his sister murmer, "Really Jet, You think he knows his nickname?"

With a shutter the cruel reality overcame me. They called me Cliff because that was what had lead me here. I couldn't tell if they were being mean or just honest.

'Jet" shrugged. "What else do I call you then?" He barked at me, in a nearly friendly way.

I shifted closer to the group of cats. I was still having a hard time giving signals from my brain to my body. My paw pads stung as I dragged them across the stone floor.

"Uh... Cliff... works." I knew I didn't want to be Smokepaw. I wasn't Smokepaw.

"Perfect," Spat the She-cat. Her and her brothers Gray eyes were like storms, raging and ready to pour frigid snow down upon me. "Sit down, we've got some explaining to do."

I sighed, taking in a breath of warm air. These cats smelled just like everything else here. Pine, ice and stone. A hint of fire. They stared me down.

"I'm Jet, this is Shade." The tom nodded at his sister. She narrowed her eyes, letting her claws slide out a little. "That white cat that greeted you is Storm, the couple in the corner are Ranger and Hunter. Storm's mate is there," He angled his tail at the sleek she cat with the kit. "She's called Swift... her kit's a tom named Ryder." He finished.

The she-cat cut in. "There were more of us but they are all out searching for food... there's a tribe out here somewhere, they take all the eagles. We've got to like off of whats left. If you're gonna stay here, you're gonna help us, got it?"

Not taking time to think about the outcome of the decision, I nodded. "Yes." I blurted.

Jet looked around. "You can probably see that there's not much order here, only Swift and Storm are in the lead casue their the eldest. We don't really have any leadership system or code or other mouse dung like that." His words struck me.

"We just care about each other." Shade swished her tail. "You'll learn to live like us, or you'll learn to die out there. There's no one else out there but that stupid tribe and don't even try aproching them. They're crazy. Nonsense."

I watched their harsh stares for moments. They seemed to mean well, but looked like they'd lived hard lives. Maybe we'd get along.

"If you don't mind me asking, where do you come from?" I said quickly.

"We're just a bunch of orphans, rogues and refugees." Jet muttered. I cocked my head.

"WHat does that make you?" I asked.

"All three, I suppose." Shrugged Shade.

OOO

It's cold here. Freezing. I can see the rising storm.

The snow freezes my pads. The ice coats my fur.

The only warm place is here... and here I'll stay.

We don't fight for power here. Companionship is key.

I suppose I'm not alone.

I don't need Starclan. Nor Shadow, River, WInd or Thunder.

They didn't come back for me. They don't care about me.

These cats do. And here I'll stay.

I can feel the cold, such cold reaches bone.

The mountains, the ice and feathers upon stone.

Cliff. That's me. I'm not Smokefur.

I must choose between chnage or revenge.


	4. Chapter 4

I feel like this might be home

But I miss home

I see the forest

I see my leader

My old leader

I see my mother

My friends, My foe

Things used to make sense

Before I knew how much was out here

That we weren't the only cats

There is more to everything than I could ever have imagined.

I want to beleive this will help me.

I don't want to be weak.

OOO

The fire cracked, reflecting on my pale green eyes. My unsteady heart still thrummed in my chest, driving my body closer to another collapse. I listened to the wood crackle, along with my heavy breaths mixed with Shade's simple, perfect ones. Her and her brother sat on either side of me, tails wrapped around their paws. They were staring deep into the flame like it meant something to them.

I heard Jet mumble slowly. "There are three rules to this place." He let out a deep sigh, like the words stung his throat. "To the mountains. To us."

I flexed my claws. Feeling the power in his words. "They are?" I breathed.

Shade lowered her head and turned it. Her gray eyes fixed in me. My tattered fur. My scarred body.

"Respect the fire. It's the only thing that keeps you alive. You can have all the prey, water and air you want but without the heat you'd freeze to death." She murmered.

Then Jet chimed in again. "We have no faith. Treat every animal equal. Exept for those who wish to bring you pain. Get them back, but don't kill. Unless It means the cost of your life otherwise"

I shuttered. Just like... those few words that my mentor had uttered during my first fight class. 'Don't kill...'

"Finnally." Shade moved closer to me. "Trust your companions. We have all been through hardships. We've all lost things in our lives. We don't share stories... just plans. For the future. It's better to put that behind us."

It made sense. I didn't exactly want to tell these cats about how I had not even been worth coming back to salvage. I didn't want to tell them of Blackstar's words. "He won't have survived that fall," The fact that they didn't even think I was strong enough to live through that.

"Well... I... did." I whispered through gritted teeth. I was amazed with my anger. It was a spark I'd never felt within me before.

"What was that, Brother?" Jet looked wearily at me. I hadn't realised he could hear that, and I stepped back a little. Shaking my head briskly.

"Nothing... Jet..." I tryed to calm myself. "Just trying to process... you know... everything."

In Shade's lonely, angry eyes I saw a tiny spark of sympathy. I didn't want sympathy. I wanted to forget.

"Can we do anything?" Jet spoke calmly. "At all?"

I closed my eyes for a second. The pain. The betrayal. These cats. The fire. The ANGER. It was to much.

"Give me something to do so I can get my mind... away from where it is now." I panted. "I need to forget. The pain. I need to work. I need to survive."

"Well you sound like your cut out to be one of us."

Standing directly behind me was the tall, white furred leader. His orange eyes met mine. Maybe I was.

OOO

"First, we gather wood." Shade looked back at me. She was padding briskly around the thick pine trees, her pawsteps loud on the forest floor. She might have been a she-cat, but she was ready for a challenge as any tom I'd ever met. She was in the lead, while Jet padded beside me. The forest floor was completely made up of pine needles, snow and rock. I had no idea how anything could grow this high... but I knew it was amazing.

Jet nudged me. "Sorry for my sister, she's a little outgoing." He chuckled. "And a little mean looking... we're only ten moons but she acts like she's seen every dark part of the world. I like to look on the bright sides more than her. How old are you, Cliff?"

I sighed. "Nine moons." That's right, I was only three moons into my aprentice training. A naive little scrap. But that was Smokepaw.

"Awe, just a little younger. You can hardly tell." Jet shrugged. He breathed out, puffs of white clouding the air. I observed our size diferences, he was above the same height but more muscular. Lean though, not like super scary buff like brambleclaw. Shade was a lot like her brother, but she had white spots covering her chest and neck, ear tips and tail.

"Yeah..." I kept a good pace for a cat who had taken a near death fall just a moon ago. It seemed that the bones in my forelegs and jaw were entirely healed, but my back legs dragged painfully behind me from time to time. I tried to keep up as well as I could.\

It ws amazing how much this place reminded me of shadowclan. From the agressive but good hearted cats to the tall pines that rose seemlessly overhead. I couldn't help but miss it.

Go away, Smokepaw. You don't belong here. You are not part of the clans anymore. You'll make a life here.

"Cliff, watch out," Shade looked back quickly. I ducked my head as a low hanging branch snapped backwards from where she had pushed it. It skimmed the top of my head.

"Careful buddy I don't want to watch you fester unconcious for another moon." Jet chuckled. I narrowed my eyes.

"Not cool," I cuffed him with a paw. "Was I really all that bad?"

Jet smiled. "Nah,"

Shade looked back and lashed her tail. "Your not the one who had to feed him!" She spat jokingly. I frowned, growing hot with embarassment.

"She fed me?" I whispered.

"Yup," I shook myself awkwardly. There was something odd about finding out that a pretty she-cat had been feeding you in your sleep. I decided not to ask how.

We were silent for the next little while. I think Shade was leading us to a part of the forest where the wood was dry and dead. I slowly trudged through the snow, earning for the rich summers in the old forest. Where I coudl eat frogs to my hearts content. Where we'd get lost in border skirmishes with riverclan or windclan. If I was lucky we'd get caught in a nice battle with thunderclan...

Alright. That was it for thinking about my past life. It was over. Stop thinking about it. You are never going back.

And so I walked. Observing every part of my new home. It was different, in that if you stared through the gaps between the trees you could see the seemingly endless stretches of mountain. If you padded long enough you'd fall right off.

Fall... right.. off.

"Here we are," I snapped out of my thoughts. Jet had already grabbed a pile of sticks in his mouth, torn from a fallen tree before us. Shade cocked her head.

"Come on, cripple, it's not that hard." Her whiskers twitched in amusment. She bit down on a long stick and began dragging it back. I took a deep breath in and snatched the nearest twig in my teeth. I yanked hard, the brittle wood breaking quickly. It was heavier than I expected, them again I was pretty weak. I musted all of my stength and made my way back to the cave, watching Shade's hips sway as she walked.

Jet nipped my tail and I yelped, dropping my stick apruptly.

"Hey Cliff," He glanced at me from behind. "You staring at my sister?"

I shrugged, trying not to let my eyes meet her body for the rest of the trip. It was nearly dark, and I was ready for rest. All this healing, gathering and walking had taken a toll on my body.

Once again, I thought about the warm, stick woven... pine needle shadowclan camp.

Smokepaw... I'll kill you.

OOO


	5. Chapter 5

Ice

I stare at myself in the ice

I'm tall. Broad. Silver gray.

Green eyes. Pale green.

My claws are thick. I'm made to fight. To hunt.

I'm born to run. To battle. To learn.

I'm born to be on my own.

I stare at Cliff in the ice.

He's torn, like a leaf brushed against stone.

He's got pain in his eyes and scabs on his skin.

But he's alive.

OOO

I had no idea what changed in me once I fell, but my sleep was no longer made of a beautiful dreams or terrifying nightmares. It was just blackness. Still, cold air. And a floor that stood still, never giving out. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak. I was alone.

I couldn't dream.

I had dozed off for only minutes when I opened my pale green eyes. I was curled in a tight ball, nestled in a small nest at the back of the small cavern den. The fire was dying down, slowly. Just embers with licks of flame peircing the air above. Smoke flowing out the small entrance. I yawned, overtaken by the fear. I had no idea that nothing could be so frightening.

What is wrong with me?

The other cats were fast asleep. I caught a glance at Storm and Swift, who lay side by side. Ryder, the living replica of his father lay asleep at his mothers belly. There was an odd peace to the gentle rise and fall of Shade's chest. Up. Down. Up. Down.

Holy, if Jet saw me now...

She breathed softly, murmering something deep in rest. I was a tad envious at her ability to dream, and at the same time I wondered exactly what was running through her mind. She flexed her claws, which I noticed she did a lot. Her lithe, strong shape entranced my mind, her ruffled, boyish fur suprisingly attractive. I knew she didn't feel this wa about me, but looking at her seemed to put my mind at ease. More than anything I wanted to lie down next to her, to join her in thought. I shivered.

Jet lay a few tail lengths away from his sister. He snored a little, every few breaths his throat would let out a soft rumbling sound. He looked a lot like his sister, I noticed now more than ever. Their fur was the same deep chesnut brown color, and though I couldn't see their eyes I knew they were just the same. Gray, full of hurt. Riddled with a storm that I would never know.

Hunter and Ranger were sleeping together next to the fire. Ranger lay peacfully on his back, snoring louder than Jet. His smaller mate was asleep in the same posistion, her head sitting perfectly on his chest. Her paws hangin awkwardly to the side. They'd figit every once in a while, smallow and shift around. They both seemed restless sleepers, but no more restless than I was.

I sighed, exhausted. But lack of sleep seemed better than sitting in that sheer darkness for hours on end. I let our a wide yawn, my teeth glinting in the dim firelight. I stretched out, dragging my claws along the stone floor.

I decided to head out for a walk, maybe catch something to eat. After all, here I didn't need to wait fo rthe elders and kits to be fed. I'd feed myself and maybe have enough to bring back for the rogues.

The moonlight dazzled my eyes when I walked out. The silvery beams reflecting on the freshly fallen snow entirely woke me up, along with the chilling breeze. From here, I'd head down a low path between two sheets of stone, upwards some natural steps to the small wooded area. I began my walked, listening every moment for the sound of life. Anything for me to hunt.

The farmiliar scratch of tiny claws underneith my paws made my ears prick up. I searched with every sense, peering down the cracks in the stone. I feared my aching muscles would fail me in the hunt, but I didn't care. I saw the mouse's tail disapear under a mound of snow, and I kept my eyes on its entryway. Bringing myself back to the most challenging of my aprentice training I stumbled after it.

I lowered myself to the ground... low, so my fur nearly brushed the stone path. I pounced, hearing a squeak under the snow. My mouth raised out of the snow, and the tang of blood met my lips. I dropped the mouse, letting it lie limp on the ground. I bit into it quickly, ravenously wolfing it back. I loved the taste of fresh kill. The chewed meat rolling down my throat. Now all I needed was a bit fo water to quench my thirst.

Then I recalled seeing a small pond up in the forest. I continued up the path, training my body to bear the pain. The stiff, frost covered grass underpaw crunched when I walked. I saw it, ice covered and gleaming silver under the moon. I saw myself in the ice, shuttering at my appearance. I really had changed since the fall.

I raised a paw, bringing it down hard on the ice. Part of me just wanted a drink, but the other part simply wanted to rid myself of the way I looked now. I was suprised by my strength, the ice smashing right away. It sent flecks of icy cold water onto my fur, and I shivered. Leaning my head over I lapped at the cold, still pool and savoured it. It tasted better up her. Better than the sticky swamp water in shadowclan.

I heard a loud 'Caw' overhead. I lifted my muzzel from the pond, licking my lips. I saw it's amber eyes gleaming from far away, flapping it wings and swooping through the midnight air. It was oddly graceful, glidding closer and closer to me. I had an idea.

I was going to catch the eagle.


	6. Chapter 6

The bird flew before the thin claw moon. An amber eyed, black shadow that lay before my wide, hungry eyes. How long had it been since I'd caught something, something big. Not a shrew or a mouse... but actually felt blood seep between my claws. Felt its heart slowly stop beating. I'd been in battle... sure... but to catch a rabbit, a bird? Defend against a fox or a badger. I could hardly begin to fathome that feeling, on that I had forgotten. You couldn't kill in battle.

It let out a woeful caw, deep into the night. Echoing against the prestine mountains. The wind was softer than a kits pad, flowing through my fur with a way that made me earn more for the hunt. My eyes were narrowed, ready. The trees framed my battered body, my loose limbs, my pale green eyes intensified by the dark green of the needles and the pale indigo of the sky. The snow crunched under my feet and I let my claws slide out slowly, dragging them across the icey stone.

The bird looked interested in the water. I didn't blame it. But it was my water. I broke the ice. It was getting closer, I could see it. Gently moving its wings back and forth, graceful in a way that made me hungrier for the kill. I didn't understand the instincts coursing through my body, but I knew it was right. I knew that I was a cat and I needed to hunt. And I was ready.

I stared at the yellowy flecks in the eagles face. Its pure white head and deep brown body. My fur stuck on end, and I could feel its scent moving to my nostrils. It smelled of wind, snow and rodents blood. I could fell myself lunging towards it, capturing it. I mentally made up a strategy. I'd wait for the eagle to fly near to water. I wasn't sure it noticed me yet. I slowly krept near the covering of trees, away from the silvery water. Another caw sounded in my ears, and it rang for minutes.

I'd creep up to it, and push it down under the ice. I'd drown the eagle. It would die. I'd bring it back to the rogues and prove that I don't only want to take from them. I'd earn their respect...

"Okay... Cliff... you will do this. You will capture the eagle and you will prove your worth." I meowed slowly to myself. Though I was riddled with exhaustion, lack of sleep, the energy that motivated me was purely animal.

I stared at the swooping creature draw closer, moving flawlessly through the trees. The feathers along its spine flew up as it flapped backwards, drawing needles from the branches in a pocket of air in it formed in its flight. My heart pounded as I marveled at its awesome size, at least three times a full grown cat. I was only an aprentice.

It looked so much... smaller... up there...

But there was no going back.

I let a puff of cold, droplets of air through my mouth. It was now or never. I doubted the bird saw me, for it lighted perfectly down onto the frosty needle floor and scraped out on the ice, navigating towards the large opening. The opening fashioned with my own claws.

It didn't notice me as I dragged my paws nearer to the bird. My eyes illuminated in the dark mountain range. The bird was massive, towering over me even from a distance. The slick ice met my paws, and I was facing the back of the bird. It's tail was splayed across the ice as it dipped its head downward. It was completely vunerable.

In one swift movement, I was on top of the bird. Claws slowly pressing into its feathers, listening to its fearful calls. It flapped its wings and I grunted at its strength. It seemed an impossible task as I lowered it towards the water. I knew its feathers were useless once wet enough. I knew it wouldn't be able to get away once it hit that icey mass...

Water spashed across my cheeks. I stood over the flailing creature, pushing it farther and farther into the depths. I kept my front claws on the eagle, so I wouldn't lose it below the water. I could feel its warm blood mixing with the cold water as it screeched, begging for mercy. I dragged my claws across its neck, nicking the vital vein which sent scarlet pouring into the cold pond. The life was drawn out of the raptor, it went limp in my paws. It dragged it, icey cold onto the surface. It's eyes were shut, wings pulled to its side. Like it knew it was going to die and it had given up.

I panted, unable to beleive the feat I had just performed. I gasped at the catch. I would head back now.

With that, I grabbed the eagle by the neck and pulled it through the pine fronds towards the cave.

OOO

"Cliff!" It was Shade's voice the rang in my ears as I stood before the cave, panting from the workout the hunt had demanded, on top of the need to carry it back to camp. "How... why?"

Her stormy grey ayes met mine, confused and worried. My mouth and paws were stained with blood, and fur coated in ice. The eagles feathers were stiff with the hardened water. The outside of the cave was covered in snow, the awkward arch sheilding the cats within from the cold. I stared at her, chest heaving.

"I caught this... to say thanks..." I panted. "For you guys... taking... care... of... me."

She stepped out of the cave and neared the brutally killed eagle. She gaped.

"But, how did you manage?" She lashed her tail, the tip twitching. She pushed a paw forward and raised the wing of the eagle up from the ground slowly, examining it. "Don't you know that..."

SHe was cut off when the massive white furred leader pushed his head through the cave.

"What was that, Shade?" He muttered, pulling out and nearing me. "Don't you know that once the tribe finds out about this they will attack at once?" He spoke slowly. "They's a reason we don't hunt these things. There's a reason we fear them. They are stronger than us,"

A rush of guilt engulfed my senses. My lungs tore through the air, begging for more. I looked down at the eagle, with the oddly splayed wings and head. The bird that is now considered stolen.

"But... Storm... why is it theres?" I heaved. "We live here too, and we have every right to hunt the prey of these mountains."

I shut my eyes. The other cats were filtering out of the cave, staring at me. Jet looked especially suprised. He pulled up beside his sister.

Shade shrugged. "Point taken."

Storm narrowed his eyes. "But, brother, are you trying to prove something to us? Even if you couldn't hunt a shrew we'd still take you in... but this. This puts us in danger. You are going to have to stay long enought to fight back. you can't leave us now."

I shivered in the frigid air. "I wasn't planning on leaving, Storm. I promise. If this leads to battle I will fight as one of you." I sighed. "But I doubt they will find out about this any time soon."

Storm nodded. "Well there is no way we can question your loyalty. But please, don't take from the tribe. They are feirce. Strong."

I felt terrible.

Why did I have to do this. The rogues really were angry with me. I couldn't stand their peircing glares. They're dissapointment.

Ryder stumbled up to him father, staring up at him expectantly. The morning light lit up his eyes and made his fur shine, glossy white. He purred.

"Do we still get to eat it?" He pawed at his large fathers leg. "Please!"

I saw Hunter lick her lips hungrily. I hadn't realised how long it had been since these cats had eaten a good meal. Storm sighed.

"It shouldn't go to waste." He muttered, pulling her tail over him paws. Ryder yipped happily.

"Yay! A whole eagle, I've seen eagles... I bet they taste better than skinny old mice! Yum!" He padded towards the bird. Ranger lifted his tail and put it in front of the kit.

"Ah, Ah," He looked up kindly at me. "Who caught this? Lets let Cliff have the first taste."

The rest of the rogues nodded. "Yeah, cliff, you caught this, you get the first bite. We'll all share it after that." Meowed Jet. He smiled softly.

Storm seemed unsatisfied with the groups suddenly happiness. Maybe it was because he knew that this action was going to cause problems. I lowered my head, ready to take the first bite. I licked the blood from my lips.

Ryder looked up at me. "Thanks, Cliff..." He grinned. "I'm soo hungry!"

Swift cast a worried glance at her mate, even though the pretty she cat looked hungry herself. Storm looked worried beyond beleif.

I sighed, making eye contact with the fearful leader. He just nodded at me.

"Let's eat," I meowed.

OOO

White figure.

Dark eyes.

Moonlight.

Morning skies.

Don't fear.

Let's be free.

Free the beast.

Inside of me.

We don't need.

Others to show.

Freedom to us.

I'll let you know.

Freedom's in you

Freedoms in me.

We just need.

To set freedom free.


End file.
